Photo Essays

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, 17th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife, Deborah, are piped ashore at the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff change of responsibility ceremony on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., Sept. 30, 2011. During the ceremony, Mullen retired after 43 years of military service and Army Gen. Martin Dempsey accepted the role of chairman.
DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark Reynolds helps test an Afghan man's vision using a visual acuity chart during a village medical outreach program in Herat province, Afghanistan, Sept. 27, 2011. U.S. troops participated in the program, which makes inexpensive glasses available to men, women and school children in the village.
U.S. Army photo by Spc. Benjamin Tuck

Air Force Staff Sgt. Bill Cenna, center, briefs Staff Sgt. Jason Ruiz on his patient's status during a training exercise on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Sept. 21, 2011. Cenna and Ruiz are pararescuemen assigned to the 212th Rescue Squadron. The training focused on providing quick care while under fire. The soldiers, assigned to Company B, 509th Infantry Regiment, also received training on how to react when pararescuemen arrive at a casualty scene.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Zachary Wolf

U.S. soldiers and Afghan border patrolmen walk up a mountainside while
providing security during a patrol outside Forward Operating Base Curry in Paktika province, Afghanistan, Sept. 20, 2011. The soldiers are assigned to Company B, 172nd Infantry Brigade.
U.S. Army photo by Spc. George Hunt

U.S. soldiers speak with Abdul Ghani, the district governor for Spin Boldak, about placing Jersey barriers in his district in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Sept. 15, 2011. The soldiers are assigned to the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade. The Jersey barriers were moved to help increase security at the district center.
U.S. Army photo by Spc. Phil Kernisan